Combined deck chair and rocking-chair



May 26, 1925. 1,539,225

c. WEST ET AL COMBINED DECK CHAIR AND ROCKING CHAIR Filed June 5, 1922 2Sheets$heet 1 May 26, 1925.

C.'WES T ET AL COMBINED DECK CHAIR AND ROCKING CHAIR Filed June 5, 19222 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 26, 1925.

UNITED srA'r'Es CHARLES WEST AND ARTHUR GREEN, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

COMBINED DECK CHAIR AND ROCKING-CHAIR.

Application filed June 3,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES WEST, of 65 Dunloe Avenue, London, N. 15,En land, and ARTHUR GREEN, of 271 Camden oad, London, N. 17, England,both subjects of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Combined DeckChairs and Rocking-Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved construction of combined deckchair and rocking chair and refers more particularly to chairs of thekind consisting of substantially rectangular back and seat framesconnected together on opposite sides by a pair of pivotal links, rods orbars, so as to permit the same to rock, the canvas or other materialforming the seating being suspended from the top of the back frame andthe front frame of the seat frame.

The object of the present invention consists in an improved constructionof chairs of this kind which will be simple and inexpensive toconstruct, more comfortable in use and in which the relative positionsof the frames ma be adjusted by the occupant of the chair ,withoutrising therefrom. A further feature of the invention consists in animproved construction and arrangement of the links and frames whichpermit the chair to be folded to a substantially fiat,

condition, the links or rods co-operating with stops to ensure the chairbeing opened out in the correct manner. Another object is to provideextension of the lower ends of the feet members of the scat frame toform stops to limit the movement and to also provide means for lockingthe frame in any adjusted position.

According to the invention, we provide two substantially rectangularframes, one of which constitutes the back frame and the other the seatframe. The canvas or the like 1922. Serial No. 565,710.

slightly bent or curved in o posite directions at their ends, the upperfdrward ends are bent or inclined forwardly and downwardly, whilst therear ends are bent or inclined rearwardly and upwardly. By this meansthe cross member at the upper forward end may be located at a lowerlevel than is possible with frames having-straight side members. Therear ends of the curved side members of the seat frame are pivotallyconnected to the side bars or the like on each side at a pointa shortdistance from their .ends so as to provide an extension which acts as astop to limit the extent of rocking of the frames relatively to oneanother.

In order to facilitate folding of the chair into a substantially flatcondltion, we prefer to connect the back and seat frames to the lowerside bars or the like b horizontal pivots or pins passing theret rough,the

side members of the back frame being 10- catcd on the inside of saidbars and the curved side members of the seat frame on the outsidethereof. By this arrangement, the extension of the curved sides'of theseat frame contact with the ground or other surface on which the chairrests to limit the rocking motion thereof.

The side bars or the like rest entirely upon the ground or other surfacewhilst the ends of the seat and back frame are supported above theground.

In this construction, the lower end -of the back frame is pivotallyconnected at its ends to the side bars at or near their forward ends,whilst the rear ends of said side bars are connected together b a crossmember, which raises the rear en s off the ground and permits limitedrocking of the seat frame about its ivotal connection without theextension t ereof contacting with the ground.

Various means may be adopted for securing the frames in any desiredposition so as to enable the occupant to adjust the chair to afford themaximum comfort without rising. y

In order that the invention may be readily understood, reference is madeto the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side view of the deckchair.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the seat portion and part of the backportion.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the chair showing the same folded up.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view to a larger scale showing the securin meansfor t e chain between the back an seat frames.

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing one method by means of whichthe chainmay be employed for securing the frames of the chair together in thefolded condition.

Fig. 6 shows a' modified construction of the means for securing theframes in any adjusted position.

Fi s. 7 and 8 show two constructions in whic resilient means areemployed to secure the two frames of the chair against rocking.-

Referrin to the construction shown in Figs. 1-4, idle chair is built upof two substantially rectangular frames hereinafter referred to as theseat frame and the back frame, respectively. The seat frame compriseslongltudinal side members 10, 11 connected at their upper forward endsby a cross'member 12. The back frame consists of longitudinal sidemembers 13, 14 respectively connected at their upper ends by a crossmember 15 and in the neighbourhood of their lower ends by a cross member16. As is usual with deck chairs, the back frame is made somewhat longerthan the seat frame, as shown in the drawings, whilst the width of theseat frame is preferably slightly greater than the width of the backframe or vice versa in order to allow movement of one within the other.The lower end of the back frame is connected to the lower end of theseat frame on each side by the bar, rod or the like 17, one endof whichis pivoted to the seat frame at a point 18, whilst the opposite end issimilarly connected to the back frame at a point 19. The frames are alsoconnected by a second bar,

rod, or the like 20 one end of which is pivoted to the back frame at apoint 21, approximately mid-way between its ends whilst the opposite endof said bar is connected to the seat frame 22 a short distance from theupper forward end of the frame.

The canvas or like seating 23 is supported or attached to the crossmember 15 of the back frame and at the opposite end to the cross member12 of the seat frame.

The lower ends of the side members 13, 14 of the back frame arepivotally connected at their extreme ends to the bars 17 at a point 19,a short distance from the ends thereof, whilst the lower curved ends ofthe side members 10, 11 of the seat frame are similarly connected at apoint 18, to the rear ends of the bars 17 the arrangement being suchthat the ends of both the bars 17 and the side members 10, 11 extendslightly beyond the point 18.

The front and rear ends of the two bars 17 rest upon the ground, therear ends being connected by a cross member 24, the projecting lowersurface of which, when resting upon the ground raises the rear ends ofthe bars 17 sh htly as shown in Fi 1.

' It will thus seen that the who e chair rests on the rods 17, and thecross member 24. The object of this arrangement is to prevent anymovement between the frames and the ground when the chair is rocked, as1n some cases, for instance, if the chair is resting upon soft ground orsand the rocking movement of the lower ends of the frames restin on theground is likely to cause holes w ich after a time are likely to becomeenlarged and thus have a tendency to cause the chair to become embeddedin the ground. By this arrangement of the bars 17, and the cross members24, in the manner described, this disadvanta e is overcome and, further,the bars 17 an the cross member 24 offer a reater resistance to theground than with 51c ordinary deck chairs as at present constructedowing to their having a considerably larger area of suppor Theextensions 10, 11 of the side members 10, 11 at their rear ends arearranged to prevent rocking beyond certain limits and the point ofconnection 18 of said members being slightly raised from the ground, thechair may be rocked rearwardly within reasonable limits as shown bydotted lines in Fig. 1, the extensions 10, and 11' acting as asafeguard, especially when the chair is resting on sloping ground.

The side members 10, 11 of the frame are slightly bent or curved inopposite directions at each end, the curvature at the upper forward endenabling the front cross member 12 to be located at a lower level thanis possible with frames having straight side members.

The arrangement of the connecting bars 17 and 20 between the verticalside members 10, 11, 13 and 14 of the back and seat frames respectivelyalso facilitates the folding of the chair into a substantially fiatcondition as shown in Fig. 3.

Various means may be adopted for securing the frames in any desiredposition, so as to enable the occupant to adjust the chair to afford themaximum comfort without rising.

In order to enable the chair to be secured against rocking, if the userso requires, we provide a chain, cable, cord or the like or a pluralityof such devices, by means of which the frames are held togetherrelatively to one another. WVhere a chain is employed, one end thereofmay be attached to the lower cross member 16, of the side 27 of thebracket is cut awa to form a ton e or projection 28 whi c is bent slighty inwar ly, as shown in Fig. 3, wh lst the lower opposite edge maybeformed with a guide or the like 29 bent outwardly to facihtate themovement of the chain. The tongue or rejection 28 is of such a size thatwhen the inks of the chain are passed over its ends they both tend tofall by their own weight into enga ement with the tongue thus securingthe c ain in any desired position. By this means the occupant of thechair is able to adjust the frames to any clesired position withoutrising from the chair, as by holding the chair in an upward directionthe links pass over the inwardly projecting ton e 28 and when the frameshave been moveg to the desired position the link for the time bein abovethe end of the tongue engages erewith and locks the frames to ether.

When t e chair is folded up as shown 1n Fig. 3, thischain may serve forretamm the ends of the frames in their collapse condition, the loopedportion of the canvas seating 23 being wound round the ad acent members12 and 15 to which its en s are connected, whilst the chain 26 1s woundround the outer side of the canvas, the chem bein provided with a hookor knob 30, whic engages one of the links of the chain as showndiagrammatically in Fig. 5, and

thus secure the two frame members in the folded or collapsed position.The frame members may be locked 1n any adjusted position by the meansillustrated in Fig. 6, in which the rod 20 connecting the upper end ofthe seat frame to the back frame has pivotally mounted thereon a bar .orrod 31, provided with a series of notches 32 on one side and with asomewhat deeper notch 33 onthe opposite side. This bar is pivoted to thebar 20 at the point which normally is disposed slightly in front of apin or stud 34 fixed to the side member 14 of the back frame. When thechair is rocked any of the notches 32 may be engaged with the pin 34according to the position of adjustment required. When 1t is desired toadjust the chair to a position in which the back frame is inclined toits maxi- -mum extent, the bar 31 is rotated about its 'pivot so as tobring the notch 33 on the opposite side of the bar into engagement withthe stud 34. The object of this arrangement is to enable the bar 31 toen age the in 34, when the pivotal point rom whic the bar is supportedis moved to the opposite side of the vertical line passing through thestud 34.

In some cases it may be found desirable in order that the chair may notbe subjected to sudden strains or stresses to provide resilient meansgether.

Two methods of connecting the frames together with this object invieware shown in Fig: 7 and 8.

In construction shown in Fig. 7, the

for connecting the frames toone end of a coil spring 36, the opposite"end of which is connected to the cross member 16 connecting the sidemembers 13, 14 of the back frame. With this construction the chain maybe operated to engage the tongue of the U shaped bracket 25 as in theconstruction describedwith reference to Figs. 1 and 4, the springserving to take up any shocks or strains caused by a person violentlysltting in a chair and adding considerably to the comfort of the user.

In the construction shown at Fig. 8, the lower end of the chain 35 isconnected to a rod 39, passing through a hole or. slot in the transversemember 16, connecting the side members 13 and 14. Between the head 40 ofthis rod and the cross member 16 is a coil spring 41.

By this means any chain 35 is taken u If desired the chain nated, thespring violent strain on the by the spring 40. may be entirelyelimibelng connected at..one end to the cross bar 16, and at the otherend to the cross member 12 of the seat frame.

The cross member 16 may if desired be rotatable, so that the rod andspring do not prevent folding up of the chair.

In order to ensure the frames being opened out from their collapsed orfolded position, 1n the proper manner, a suitable stop may be PI'OVIdOdon one of WhlCh a portion of the other frame abuts when the frames arefolded together. One simple method of effecting this object is shown bywa of example in Fi 1, in WhlCh one or 0th of the side mem ers 13, 14 ofthe back frame are provided in the nelghbourhood of their upper endswith a pro ectmg member 37 arranged in such a manner as to engage theend of the connectmg bar or rod 20 as shown in dotted l1nes at Figs. 1and 3, the end of the bar or bars 20 being preferably cut off at anangle as shown at 38. By thls means the opening of the frames otherwisethan in the correct manner will be prevented by the stops 37 It will ofcourse be understood that the sto s may be located in any other positionif eslre It will be understood that the details of constructlon' may bemodified without departlng from the principle of the invention.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent inUnited States is 1. A combined deck chair and rocking chair comprisingin combination substantially rectangular back and seat frameworks,

lower end of the chain 35 is connected to the frames against a baseframework on which the chair rests,

. thereof, the side members of the seat framework being pivoted at theirlower ends'to the side members of the base framework at the rear, theside members of the seat framework being extended beyond the pivots toform limiting stops, the side members of the back framework being ivotedat their lower ends to the side mem rs of the base framework at thefront, a seating fabric having-its lower front portion supported by amember between the upper ends of the sides of the seat framework and itsupper portion supported by a member between the upper ends of the sidesof the back framework, link members on each side connectin the sidemembers of the seat and bae frames, and means for maintaining the saidframes in any adjusted postion, for the purposes set forth.

2. A combined deck chair and rocking chair comprising in combinationsubstantially rectangular back and seat frameworks, a base framework onwhich the chair rests, comprising side members and a transthe ivots toform limiting stops, the side mem rs of the back framework being pivotedat their lower ends to the side members of the base framework at thefront, a seating fabric having its lower front portion supported by amember between the upper ends of the sides ofthe seat framework, and itsupper portion supported by a member between the upper ends of the sidesof the back framework, link members on each side connecting the sidemembers of the seat and back frames, and a chain adjustable betweenmembers of the back and seat frames for maintaining the said frames inany desired position.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names.

CHARLES WEST. ARTHUR GREEN.

